The Will of the Uchiha
by fandomqueenishere
Summary: Post-war. Sasuke's travels have taken him far and wide, but when gut-feeling pesters him to return to Konoha, he is unhappy with what he finds. Could it be that Konoha needs yet another face to help Sasuke and give him the much needed protection he never thought he'd obtain after Itachi? SasuSaku. Canon. OCs involved. In line with 699, 700, gaiden. I'm bad at summaries...
1. A Return?

**Hello everyone! I actually used to have an old ff a/c, which I have not used in a while due to a bombardment of cringe attacks, but here's my first (in a while) fanfic.**

It was just another town. Coming across countless numbers of villages like these, Sasuke had stopped paying attention to his surroundings. He absently touched the forehead protector he wore on his arm. Ideally, he would have not worn it at all, but, after years of denial and disowning his village, the least he could do is take a little pride in the fact that he represented the leaf.

Besides, it posed another benefit. It indicated to people in need that he was here, if they needed his protection or help. Atoning for his sins had been a tough decision for him to take, but even after spending a month outside the village, travelling, he could see how fulfilling it was.

He swirled the contents of his clay mug, watching the sake circle the brim of the mug. It was a habit he had picked up in his few months of travel, helping him calm down and ponder.

Ponder what, exactly, he didn't know. Some days, he'd sit in a single bar for the whole day, watching but really not observing the people around him. Bars were unruly places, definitely an unconventional choice for some peace and quiet. But drunkards squabbling with each other was the perfect situation for him to merge with the shadows, not be bothered by people and their petty questions.

This was what he'd always wanted, Sasuke thought in satisfaction. To be free, free of revenge, free of bonds, free of any sort of duty. He'd aid Naruto, Kakashi and the other Kage when they needed him, but he'd lived enough of a shinobi's life for the past 18 years.

Through the countless villages he'd journeyed through, this was in the most pitiful condition. Poverty roamed the streets, while death waited for his old friend to give him his next victim. And the children were the worst, their eyes and hearts hollowed by the war.

Sasuke had never been one to sympathise. His own childhood, racked with betrayal and bloodshed, had not given him much scope for that. But even then, the children were the ones who haunted him most. Wordlessly, they made him lose sleep every night. Because he saw himself. In every single one of them.

He closed his eyes in resignation. The war was over, it was a time of peace. They'd learn to live with it soon enough, just like he had.

As he opened them again, he saw a flicker of a silhouette and the sweep of a cloak retreating behind the closed curtains of the storage room of the bar. Sasuke frowned. He could've sworn someone was watching him. Wanting to avoid unnecessary confrontation, he chose to ignore it. Instead, he stood up, and walked up to the counter, paying with his right hand. His only hand.

He had to admit, losing an arm was difficult to get used to. Wearing his cloak, even tying his forehead protector became a challenge. Yet, he'd persevere. This arm was testament to his own foolishness, and he'd suffer for as long as he must, until he was satisfied with his punishment.

As he stepped out of the dimly lit bar into the open, the overcast sky gave him no respite. Humidity clung to him and his clothes stuck to his body. It was an oppressive day, far-cry from the pleasant morning he'd left when he'd stepped inside the bar.

Sasuke walked on, as children pushed past him, waiting to be drenched in the spring shower.

"Did you see it? Quite odd for March, don't you think?" A quivering voice came from the tea shop on his left.

An old woman conversing with another. From his experiences with Neko baa-chan, Sasuke could firmly say he wanted nothing to do with old ladies. Or their gossip.

"A wilting Cherry blossom orchard. Very unusual indeed. This is their blooming season. With all the rain we got last night, they should be in their full glory."

Sasuke kept walking, but his brows furrowed. An entire orchard? That seemed odd. March was their season.

Unconsciously, his mind wandered to Sakura. He wondered how his teammate was doing. Kakashi and Naruto often wrote to him and, although he'd never reply, he did cherish the letters they sent. Sakura never sent him any letters, but Sasuke had always assumed it was because she probably got all the news she needed from the other two.

Occasionally Naruto would mention going for Ramen with Sakura and Sai, or meeting her at the hospital when going for checkups for his prosthetic arm. But as of late, the frequency of the mention of her name had reduced. Sasuke did not know how she was doing.

He suddenly swerved, surprising even himself, and started walking in the other direction. He did not know why, but he needed to see this orchard for himself. Perhaps they were exaggerating?

Sasuke was clueless as to why it bothered him so much. But he felt uneasy. Despite his lack of any romantic feelings towards her, he did care about her well-being. In the months leading up to his departure from Konoha, Sasuke had glimpsed her dedication to her art of healing and curing, and had regained lot of the respect he had for her since that day she cut her own hair short in the Forest of Death while trying to protect him and Naruto.

* * *

Sasuke's inner turmoil grew as he saw the orchard. Tens of trees stood lifeless and dull, their limbs and leaves bent in resignation. The buds of the cherry blossoms lay scattered on the ground, unborn, never to bloom again. Sasuke was shocked at the extent of the damage. They didn't seem diseased, or water-deficient. Yet there they were, dying.

His jaw hardened. This was grim indeed. He was not superstitious, and he never had been. But standing there, he solemnly promised to himself that he would ensure his teammate was all right. That his teammate was safe.

He was returning to Konoha.


	2. An Acceptance

**Woow, I'm the worst. I had my final school exams guys, so I'm really sorry for not uploading. Hopefully, I'll stop being the lazy trash I am and write more often. Meanwhile, enjoy this freshly prepared, new and improved second chapter**

* * *

Sakura wiped the sweat off her brow. Ichiraku was not the best place to be on the most humid of days, but after working overtime at the hospital the whole week, she had to agree to Naruto and Ino's request to eat lunch together with the other eight, just to get them off her back.

She stared at the glass of water, seeing her tired green eyes staring back up at her. It was strange, she didn't feel any pain, just…empty. It hurt her to think about it, and it killed her, to keep it bottled up in herself, to the point she could scream. It was silly really.

She grinned at Naruto as he shoveled another onigiri in his mouth, while simultaneously trying to slurp his ramen.

"Man, you're really hungry today. Training the kids must be tough, huh?"

Naruto nodded fervently at her. Hinata giggled quietly, as he put his arm around her and whispered something to make sure she was eating properly. Sakura smiled to herself. He was so enamoured by Hinata, it felt unreal that just a few months she'd had to knock some sense into him.

"Yeah, there's this boy called Takeshi, and he is the most stubborn, ill-mannered, obnoxious, loud brat I've ever come across. I don't think I can keep up with him. Even Kurama was grumbling."

Sakura and Naruto shot each other a glance and laughed as the others looked at each other in confusion. Shikamaru caught on, soon enough.

"Oh, surely not the worst. I'm sure we can _all_ think of someone who is worse." Shikamaru lazily stirred his ramen, sighing at the thought of a young Naruto's antics. Naruto smiled, good-naturedly.

"Tenten, I hear you've opened a weapon's shop. How's that faring?" Sakura turned to her left to face the brown-haired kunoichi, who was shaking her head in resignation.

"Don't ask. Stupid peaceful times, people barely need weapons anymore. I swear, if there aren't a few robberies around here, I'm going to commit some crimes myself and go around marketing the kunai as self-defense weapons"

Everyone chuckled in unison, sympathising with her. They were all still getting adjusting to the serenity, never before experienced in their 18 years of living. But no one was complaining.

Sakura watched Sai and Ino conversing and laughing intimately, with Ino occasionally squeezing his hand warmly in response.

Sakura felt her heart ache with every squeeze.

Before she could fall any further into despair, she heard the rustle of the cloth of the curtain shading Ichiraku's from the outside world. Shizune gently bowed her head and entered. She looked around and smiled.

"Konichi wa, minna"

Everyone murmured their greetings, as Shizune turned to Sakura.

"Tsunade-sama has urgent need for your counsel. Ino, you too. She says your plans will probably be approved of, by the council."

Sakura beamed at Ino, finally feeling an emotion which could be likened to happiness for the first time in weeks. Ino grinned in response.

"Plans?" Kiba raised his eyebrows, shooting Ino a questioning look, while Akamaru gruffly barked questioningly.

Ino nodded.

"We haven't told you, but, we want to open a children's hospital. These kids have gone through an entire war, at such a young age. Being exposed to that kind of violence….." Ino shuddered as Sakura stared at her untouched bowl of ramen.

"It was Sakura's idea. I mean, she's the one who ends up treating these kids. I'm just the flower expert who tags along" Ino laughed, embarrassed as Sakura firmly shook her head.

"You're just as important as me, or Shizune-san, to this project. We need to support each other, we can't do it alone."

Sakura pushed her chair back and rose, smoothening her dress and looking at Shizune.

"Let's go, Shizune-san."

Shizune frowned.

"Tsunade-sama can wait, Sakura. Finish your meal."

Shizune had an intuition that there was something very off about Sakura for the past few weeks. She'd grown thinner, her hair growing limp. Even her skin had grown translucent, her vascular system a very visible, a startling blue, against her pale skin. Although Shizune had taken it to be the heavy workload in the hospital, something wasn't quite right.

Shizune saw a flash of concern in Naruto's eyes. He saw it too. She almost smiled. Naruto may still be the loud, foolhardy boy he had been as a child, but he had grown perceptive of other's feelings. Particularly Sakura's.

Sakura attempted to laugh it off, as she ran out of the Ramen shop.

"And keep Tsunade-sama waiting? We've finally achieved peace in the shinobi world. Kami-sama help us if we ruin it now, by facing her wrath. "

"Well if it sells some weapons, it wouldn't be the worst thing," Tenten muttered under her breath.

Sakura felt Naruto's eyes bore into hers, and she turned away quickly. That boy was better off when he was clueless knucklehead. His sensitivity to her emotions unnerved her.

* * *

As Sakura, Ino and Shizune walked through the village, her eyes scanned the various buildings. The people of the leaf were enterprising, if not anything else. She saw rows of shops lining every street and dotting the distant horizon. Many a businessman understood, that in times of peace such as this, people had the luxury of spending their time on leisure activities, with a vengeance. It was almost as if they daren't believe that every day of their lives would not be spent questioning the chances of surviving another one. And so, they enjoyed, they lapped up the relaxation like a dog consuming water on a hot day. As if it would be taken from them any second. She saw various ninja, sitting at the roadside, drinking sake with their girlfriends or playing cards with companions they made during the war.

The most drastic was the number of foreign shinobi in the village. It was scattered with shinobi from the other four hidden villages and even the smaller ones, like Taki, Ame and Yume. A few looked up at her and shot her a shy smile. She must have treated them at some point. She smiled back, and the one from Amegakure blushed.

"Getting _all_ the attention I see?" Ino sidled up to her with a teasing smile. Sakura rolled her eyes. This was a daily routine, being paired up with just about everyone who dared smile at her. Ino had been nagging at her constantly to go on a date, but they both knew there was only one person who could have that honour.

Sakura felt a weight fall upon her shoulders.

" _I should stop wasting my time. He doesn't care."_


End file.
